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ORI is a research centre of the University of Botswana.

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Zika virus

Key facts

Zika virus disease is caused by
a virus transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes.

People with Zika virus disease
usually have symptoms that can include mild fever, skin rashes,
conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise or headache. These symptoms
normally last for 2-7 days.

There is no specific treatment
or vaccine currently available.

The best form of prevention is
protection against mosquito bites.

The virus is known to circulate
in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific.

Introduction

Zika
virus is an emerging mosquito-borne virus that was first identified in Uganda
in 1947 in rhesus monkeys through a monitoring network of sylvatic yellow
fever. It was subsequently identified in humans in 1952 in Uganda and the
United Republic of Tanzania. Outbreaks of Zika virus disease have been recorded
in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific.

Genre: Flavivirus

Vector: Aedes mosquitoes
(which usually bite during the morning and late afternoon/evening hours)

Reservoir: Unknown

Signs and Symptoms

The
incubation period (the time from exposure to symptoms) of Zika virus disease is
not clear, but is likely to be a few days. The symptoms are similar to other
arbovirus infections such as dengue, and include fever, skin rashes,
conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise, and headache. These symptoms
are usually mild and last for 2-7 days.

Potential complications of Zika virus disease

During large outbreaks in French Polynesia and
Brazil in 2013 and 2015 respectively, national health authorities reported
potential neurological and auto-immune complications of Zika virus disease.
Recently in Brazil, local health authorities have observed an increase in
Guillain-Barré syndrome which coincided with Zika virus infections in the
general public, as well as an increase in babies born with microcephaly in northeast
Brazil. Agencies investigating the Zika outbreaks are finding an increasing
body of evidence about the link between Zika virus and microcephaly. However,
more investigation is needed to better understand the relationship between
microcephaly in babies and the Zika virus. Other potential causes are also
being investigated.